Accidental Matchmaking
by Beloved
Summary: Angel matches up another couple with some help from the PTB Willow and Xander ABANDONED WIP
1. Default Chapter

Accidental Matchmaking  
  
Part Two in The Matchmaker Series  
  
Sequel to Angel - The Matchmaker  
  
Angel matches up his second couple (with some help from the PTB)- Willow and Xander  
  
Angel had not long woken up. He was sitting at the table, a mug of warm blood in his hands, half-smiling at the scene before him. Doyle and Cordelia were curled up together on the sofa. Cordelia was reading a demon book aloud quietly, while Doyle stroked her hair.  
  
Angel took a gulp of his blood, looking proudly upon what his meddling - sorry, matchmaking, had produced. 'One couple down,' he thought. However, Angel cut off his train of thought when he realised that Doyle was now leaning heavily against the counter, obviously in pain. That meant only one thing. A vision.  
  
Between them, Angel and Cordelia supported Doyle as they led him back to the sofa.  
  
Once the vision - and the migraine that accompanies them had passed, Doyle told them (in his lovely Irish lilt) what he had seen. "Sunnydale. It seems that our little Cordelia here has released the Amare demon - accidentally mind, into Sunnydale. It's after your friends."  
  
Angel opened his mouth to ask whom, but Doyle spoke first.  
  
"Redhead. He's gonna kidnap the redheaded girl," Doyle told them.  
  
"Willow," Angel stated.  
  
"What does this Amare demon do anyway?" he asked.  
  
Cordelia answered that one. "It kidnaps young people of about our age-" she cut herself off and glanced at the over 200 year old vampire, "Well, my age anyway. Usually young women."  
  
"Yeah. And?" Angel asked, ignoring the jab about his age and waiting for the catch.  
  
"The only person who can kill the demon - and save Willow, is Willow's true love," Cordelia finished.  
  
Angel sank back down to the table. "Which means Buffy cannot save her?" he asked dejectedly.  
  
Cordelia placed her hands on her knees nervously. "Well, she can die trying," she eventually replied.  
  
Angel went pale (if that's even possible for a vampire) then he stood up, slamming his mug down on the table.  
  
He clapped his hands together before saying, "Come on guys. We're going to Sunnydale." 


	2. Chapter Two: Sunnydale

Angel cut off the engine and they jumped out and ran up the drive to the door of Buffy's house.  
  
Cordelia knocked on the door. Joyce Summers answered.  
  
"Cordelia! I thought you were in LA with-" she cut herself when she saw the two men standing behind Cordelia.  
  
"Hello Angel," she said coldly.  
  
"Good evening Mrs Summers," Angel replied politely.  
  
Cordelia saw Joyce looking at Doyle questioningly, so, slipping an arm through his, she introduced them. "Mrs Summers, this is my boyfriend Doyle. He works for Angel to."  
  
"Evenin' Mrs Summers," Doyle said.  
  
Joyce just nodded in reply and opened her mouth to ask why they were there, but Cordelia beat her to it. "Is Buffy in?" she asked.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I think she's over at Xander's."  
  
"Thanks Mrs Summers," Angel replied, already walking back to the black convertible.  
  
Angel banged on the door of Xander's basement apartment impatiently.  
  
"Alright, alright Will! Don't be so impa-" Xander cut himself off when he saw who it actually was at the door.  
  
"Deadboy. What do you wa- Cordelia! And - who are you?" Xander finished, staring at Doyle - and the fact that he was holding Cordelia's hand, in amazement.  
  
"Xander. This is Doyle. He's Cordy's boyfriend - and he works for me to. Don't call me Deadboy," Angel said in reply.  
  
"Now, are you gonna let us in or what?" Cordelia asked, pushing past Xander and walking in, followed by Doyle and Angel.  
  
"Well, I guess he's not a vampire," Xander muttered under his breath as he shut the door behind them.  
  
As they walked in, they heard someone else walk in from the opposite direction - "Xander! Was it Will- Angel! What the hell are you doing here?!" the small blonde girl cried, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"She seems as to the point as she was last time I met her," Doyle whispered to Cordelia.  
  
"Yeah, our Little Miss Likes-To-Fight," Cordelia whispered back.  
  
"Is anyone gonna answer my question?" Buffy demanded, glaring at Angel.  
  
"I'd like an answer to, especially since you are all in my apartment," Xander added, moving to stand beside Buffy.  
  
"Buffy-" Angel started, about to explain. The look that Buffy sent him stopped him in mid-sentence, so Cordelia stepped in.  
  
"Hello to you to Buffy. This is my boyfriend Doyle.-"  
  
"We've met. Wait a minute, Doyle's your *boyfriend* now? Since when?" Buffy cut in.  
  
Angel answered that one. "Since I got fed up of them dancing round each other and set them up on Doyle's birthday. Now, back to business. Cordelia?"  
  
"Yeah. We're here because he had a vision."  
  
"A vision?" Xander repeated.  
  
"Yeah. A vision. That's his job. He has visions of people in trouble and Angel goes and saves them," Cordelia told Xander matter-of-factly, in the kind of tone you use with a very young child.  
  
"Yeah? So? Why are you here? In Sunnydale?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, my vision was of Sunnydale. And you guys. And some old guy with glasses," Doyle told her.  
  
"Giles," everyone replied.  
  
"So we'd better get over to his place," Angel said.  
  
Buffy grabbed her bag and coat and walked to the door. "Come on then. Let's go."  
  
They were at Giles' house.  
  
Introductions had been made, and Giles now also knew the basics of why everyone was there.  
  
"So come on then Doyle, explain away," Buffy said from her stance in front of him and Cordelia - who had made themselves quite comfortable, Doyle sitting in one of Giles' armchairs with Cordelia curled up in his lap.  
  
"There's a new demon to cope with. The Amare demon. And he's here in Sunnydale," Doyle told them. Then he squeezed Cordelia's hand before saying, "But my 'Delia here can explain this better than me."  
  
"This Amare demon goes after young people - especially young women. We're here because Doyle saw it kidnapping a redheaded girl. Willow," Cordelia told them.  
  
"What?!!" Buffy, Xander and Giles cried. "Willow?!!"  
  
"Yes. Willow," Cordelia replied.  
  
Buffy picked up her bag and pulled out Mr. Pointy. "Well then, there goes my weekend of normal teenage fun with my two best friends. I've gotta go save Willow."  
  
"No! You can't!" Angel, Doyle and Cordeila cried simultaneously.  
  
"Pardon? Some demon kidnaps one of my best friends and you say I can't do anything?!! Are you crazy?!!!" Buffy yelled at them, her hands on her hips once more.  
  
"But YOU can't save her!!" Angel yelled in reply.  
  
"Well, you could die trying," Cordelia added.  
  
"What?!!" Xander and Buffy cried.  
  
(Giles did not say anything. From the moment the Amare demon and Willow had been mentioned he had been buried in his books looking for information about it.)  
  
"Maybe you should sit down and Cordy will explain," Angel suggested.  
  
Cordelia waited for them to sit down before explaining. "It's an Amare demon. Amare is Latin and means love,"  
  
"Yeah? So?" Xander asked.  
  
Cordelia took a deep breath. There was a long pause while Cordelia tried to think of how to phrase the rest, for once, attempting to go about it tactfully, instead of with her usual bluntness.  
  
"Just tell us Cordelia!!" Buffy yelled, slamming her hand on the table.  
  
"Only Willow's true love can save her," Cordelia said quickly.  
  
"What? OhmyGod!" Buffy gasped, sinking back onto the sofa.  
  
"Giles?" she whispered, her voice practically begging for him to deny it.  
  
Giles pointed to a page in a book and shook his head. "I'm sorry Buffy. But Cordelia is right," he told her, his British accent sounding more pronounced from the fact that he was so upset.  
  
"Which means that I can't save her," Buffy replied, putting her head in her hands. "What a day for Cordelia to be right."  
  
At that remark Cordelia's head snapped up. "I understand that you're worried and upset, so I'll let that one go."  
  
"So what are we gonna do?" Buffy asked the room in general. She received no answer.  
  
Xander looked round at the dejected group and jumped up, starting to pace.  
  
"Come on! We can't just give up! This is our Willow we're talking about! She could die if we d-" Xander cut himself off mid-sentence, his face suddenly ashen.  
  
"She could die," he whispered, collapsing back onto the sofa as he finally absorbed that fact.  
  
Everyone could see the absolute terror on Xander's face at the thought of losing Willow and looked at him sympathetically, Buffy squeezing his hand, and even Angel - who laid a comforting hand upon his shoulder.  
  
After a few minutes Xander pulled himself together, took a deep breath and jumped up again.  
  
"You know, for once I'm actually right. This IS Willow we're talking about here! The Scooby Gang can't work properly without it's Wiccan girl! We can't just give up! I love her too much for us to give up on her now!"  
  
Everyone gasped at that remark. Even though they had all thought that, deep down, Xander really did love Willow, they were VERY surprised to hear him actually admit it!  
  
Once Xander had registered the gasps, he realised what he had just said.  
  
"OhmyGod!" he rushed off all in one breath. "I love Willow!" and he collapsed onto the sofa again.  
  
"Why didn't I know that?" 


	3. Chapter 3: Xander

"So, strategy plan. Buffy teaches me some moves, how to behead things etc, etc.. Then I'm supposed to save Willow without either of us being killed. I am going to say one word. *How?!*"  
  
Xander had got over his immediate surprise, and was trying to come to terms with the plan.  
  
"I mean, Buffy is strong, and she kicks butt real well. But me......"  
  
"Look Xander, the demon will already be weakened by you being there - you are the only person who can save Willow, and the demon will sense that, especially since you can draw power from it to fight it," Giles told him, having been reading up on the demon since he had been mentioned.  
  
"Giles is right Xander. I can't save Willow. You *can*. You're the ONLY one who can," Buffy told him.  
  
Xander straightened his shoulders, "Yeah! I'm the only one who can save Willow. And I'll do it if it kills me!"  
  
He looked round at the group as he said that, and registered their looks.  
  
"OK, that was *so* not a cliché to use at this time." 


	4. Chapter 4: What did you do?

"Take that you ugly demon!! And that!!"  
  
Xander was punching proverbial *Hell* out of the punching bag in front of him, pretending it was the demon that had kidnapped Willow.  
  
Buffy and Angel were standing a few feet away, instructing their aggravated brunette friend in ways to improve his punches and kicks.  
  
Xander's face was red with both exertion and anger, and, taking a deep breath, he screamed at the punch bag, and flying-kicked it so hard that it broke away from the chains and ropes that were holding it to the ceiling, and hit the wall behind it with a loud thump.  
  
Oblivious to the gasps and surprised looks from Angel and Buffy, Xander leapt at the punching bag now leaning against the wall, and continued to punch it, banging the top of it against the wall as if it was the demon's head.  
  
The punch bag started to sag, and slowly slipped further down the wall. However, Xander was oblivious to this, and threw all of his remaining strength into his last punch. Problem was, as the bag had slipped down the wall, Xander missed it, and his fist continued to go through the wall, revealing the brick beneath the plaster covering.  
  
As he pulled his now bleeding hand away, Xander looked at it for a minute, then at Buffy and Angel, and said, "Oops. And may I add, ouch!! Severe pain here!"  
  
Buffy and Angel looked at each other sceptically, as his cries of pain had came a little late, before assisting him.  
  
As soon as they entered the shop, Buffy forceably *shoved* Xander into the nearest chair, and stood before him, hands on her hips.  
  
"Alexander Lavelle Harris!! Have you been messing with the spell books again?!!!!"  
  
Xander opened his mouth to deny it, but took one look at Buffy's face and thought better of it.  
  
Buffy glared at him, and he wilted under her gaze, bowing his head and looking at the floor in shame.  
  
"What did you *do?*" she asked wearily.  
  
Xander glanced at her quickly, before returning his eyes to the floor to answer, "It was only meant to stop me from getting hurt as much. Only, it seems to have gone a little wrong. So, instead of me not *getting* hurt, I just-"  
  
"Can't *feel* hurt?" Buffy finished.  
  
Xander nodded, and once more returned his gaze to the floor.  
  
"Well, at least you didn't make any more of Giles' books go `poof'!" she said with a sigh. 


	5. help me!

Look, I'm kinda stuck here.  
So, if you can come up with any ideas of what could happen next, e-mail them 2 me at belovedplank@hotmail.com, and I'll see what I can do. 


End file.
